An Exchange of Views, Some in Accord

VATICAN CITY — President Obama and Pope Francis on Thursday skirted social issues that have generated tension between some Roman Catholic leaders and the American president, opting instead for a nearly hourlong discussion that touched on income inequality, the conflict raging in Syria, the persecution of Christians around the world and the elusiveness of global peace.

The first meeting between Mr. Obama and the pope had been the subject of keen anticipation. Few expected an embarrassing confrontation, but many were watching the chemistry between the two men, curious about the issues that would captivate them and how they would navigate their differences. Would those differences crowd out a desire by both men to focus on the plight of the poor?

In the end, it appears that they did not. At home, Mr. Obama has faced anger from Catholic bishops about abortion and his health care law’s requirements that some religious-based groups provide access to contraception for employees. The president’s endorsement of same-sex marriage in 2012 further separated him from Catholic leaders.

But in the 52 minutes that Mr. Obama spent on Thursday sitting across from Francis at a spare desk with a small, golden crucifix, those disputes seemed to fade away. According to Mr. Obama, the discussion was instead focused on two areas: how to help the poor and marginalized around the world and how to confront conflicts that test the limits of peace.

“We actually didn’t talk a whole lot about social schisms,” Mr. Obama told reporters a few hours after the private audience with the pontiff. “His Holiness and the Vatican have been clear on a range of issues. Some of them I differ with. Most of them I heartily agree with.”

In its own assessment of the meeting, the Vatican alluded to a cordial discussion that touched on “the exercise of the rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection,” perhaps an allusion to the contraception provision. American prelates argue that the mandate is a violation of religious freedom. But the papal communiqué also said that Francis and Mr. Obama talked about “current international themes,” immigration reform and a commitment to fight human trafficking.

Each seemed eager to use the meeting to further his own broader agenda. In his first year as pope, Francis has sought to shift the church’s public emphasis to themes of mercy and forgiveness and the plight of the world’s poor. Receiving the American president gave him another very high-profile chance to do just that.

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On the Minute, The Times’s White House Photographer Doug Mills reports on the first meeting of President Obama and Pope Francis in Vatican.CreditCreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

In a similar way, Mr. Obama has said he intends to spend the balance of his second term bolstering the fortunes of the middle class and reducing income inequality in the United States. Associating himself with Francis on those issues offered at least the aura of support from a global leader.

Asked whether he envisions a strategic alliance of sorts with the pope, Mr. Obama demurred, saying, “I don’t think His Holiness envisions entering into a partnership or a coalition with any political figure on any issue.”

“His job is a little more elevated,” he added. “We are down on the ground dealing with the often profane. He’s pretty much with higher powers.”

“I do think there is a potential convergence between what policy makers have to think about and what he’s talking about,” Mr. Obama said, adding, “He’s, hopefully, creating an environment in which those of us who care about this are able to talk about it more effectively.”

Many analysts had wondered whether the pope would raise concerns about the Affordable Care Act directly to Mr. Obama, especially given the opposition by leading American cardinals.

Instead, Francis seems to have delegated that part of the agenda to his second-in-command, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state. Mr. Obama said that Cardinal Parolin did raise the contraceptive requirements under the health care law, along with other issues, at a separate meeting. He said he told the cardinal that most religious organizations were exempt from the coverage mandate, but said he pledged to “continue a dialogue with the U.S. Conference of Bishops to make sure we can strike the right balance.”

Alberto Melloni, a Vatican historian, said it was not surprising that Francis did not directly raise “uncomfortable topics like social issues in the United States,” given that any confrontation would have been embarrassing and unseemly. He also said that Francis had already made plain his distaste for publicly fighting “religious wars.”

“Everybody knows where the church stands on such issues,” Mr. Melloni said.

For Mr. Obama, the day also included later encounters with Italy’s president, Giorgio Napolitano, and its new prime minister, Matteo Renzi, and ended with a private tour of the Colosseum. As he walked through the ruins of the arena, Mr. Obama said he could imagine what it might have been like in ancient times.

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President Obama with Pope Francis on Thursday at the Vatican.CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

“I can,” he said. “This is bigger than some current baseball stadiums,” he said, mentioning Wrigley Field in Chicago as an example. “I have to check on what it seats. It’s remarkable. Unbelievable.”

Yet the meeting with Francis was the centerpiece of the trip to Rome. Mr. Obama met Pope Benedict XVI during a July 2009 visit to the Vatican, but Thursday’s meeting was more laden with symbolism.

Arriving under gray, rainy morning skies, Mr. Obama was led in a procession through the center of the ornate Clementine Hall, proceeding past a dozen members of the Swiss Guards as they stood at attention.

The two men appeared to share a lighthearted rapport during an exchange of gifts. Francis, an Argentine and the first pontiff from the Southern Hemisphere, gave the president two medallions, including one that symbolized the need for solidarity and peace between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

He also presented Mr. Obama with a copy of “Evangelii Gaudium,” or “The Joy of the Gospel,” the apostolic exhortation that Francis released last November as his call for a new era of evangelization and for a renewed focus on the poor.

Mr. Obama presented Francis with a custom-made seed chest featuring a variety of fruit and vegetable seeds used in the White House garden, noting that the box was made from reclaimed wood from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore.

“If you have a chance to come to the White House, we can show you our garden as well,” the president said. Using a Spanish phrase that can be translated as “Why not?” or “For sure,” Francis quickly responded.

“Cómo no?” he said.

At the conclusion of the visit, Mr. Obama and Pope Francis stood together as others filed out of the room, according to a strict protocol. “His Holiness is probably the only person who has to put up with more protocol than me,” Mr. Obama said, prompting a smile from the pope after an interpreter translated the remark.

Correction:April 7, 2014

An article on March 28 about President Obama’s visit with Pope Francis at the Vatican misspelled the name of the ancient Roman arena that Mr. Obama toured. It is the Colosseum, not the Coliseum.

Gaia Pianigiani contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A10 of the New York edition with the headline: In Vatican Meeting, Obama and Pope Focus on Shared Accord. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe